Saood Variawa Wins Stage at Dakar Rally

In a dramatic turn at the Dakar Rally, nine-time world champion Sebastien Loeb rolled his Dacia, forcing him to withdraw from the race due to severe damage, while South Africa's Saood Variawa made history as the youngest stage winner at just 19. Loeb's incident occurred 12 kilometers into the third stage, where he and co-driver Fabian Lurquin managed temporary repairs but ultimately finished over an hour behind the leader, significantly hurting their chances for victory. Variawa, who won the stage for Toyota Gazoo, finished 33 seconds ahead of Mini's Guerlain Chicherit despite suffering a puncture late in the race. Meanwhile, Henk Lategan maintained the overall lead despite finishing 12th in the stage, with five-time Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah trailing him. The motorcycle category saw Lorenzo Santolino take his first stage win, while Daniel Sanders retained the overall lead. The two-week rally, considered the toughest endurance event, continues until January 17.